DrJakub Radzikowski

I have joined Imperial College London as Culinary Education Designer in 2019 to work on the Chemical Kitchen project. Prior to that, I have completed a PhD degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Groningen, Netherlands. I used a systems biology approach to investigate Escherichia coli persister cells, which are in a special metabolic state that makes them tolerant to antibiotics.

After completing my PhD, I have decided to take a detour to cook, and completed the Grand Diplome with Management course at Le Cordon Bleu London. Subsequently, I worked in fine-dining, Michelin-starred restaurants and gastronomy design studios in London as a chef.

My current part-time role as a Culinary Education Designer involves working at the Imperial College London on the Chemical Kitchen project. This involves designing, running and evaluating courses for students, in which they learn STEMM-related skills and approaches through a non-threatening parallel of professional gastronomy.

Since we started in 2019, the project has expanded beyond its initial aims. I design, run, and evaluate courses across all faculties and with the Imperial Institute of Extended Learning, and support community and outreach events.

Since 2025, I am the head of the Gastronomy Impact Unit at the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein at Imperial and a Founding co-Director of the Centre for Chemistry Education.